Teaching Spirits

Understanding Native American Religious Traditions

Joseph Brown

This book offers a thematic approach to Native American religious traditions.

Teaching Spirits

Understanding Native American Religious Traditions

Joseph Brown

Description

Teaching Spirits offers a thematic approach to Native American religious traditions. Within the great multiplicity of Native American cultures, Joseph Epes Brown has perceived certain common themes that resonate within many Native traditions. He demonstrates how themes within native traditions connect with each other, at the same time upholding the integrity of individual traditions. Brown illustrates each of these themes with in-depth explorations of specific native cultures including Lakota, Navajo, Apache, Koyukon, and Ojibwe. Brown demonstrates how Native American values provide an alternative metaphysics that stand opposed to modern materialism. He shows how these spiritual values provide material for a serious rethinking of modern attitudes - especially toward
the environment - as well as how they may help non-native peoples develop a more sensitive response to native concerns. Throughout, he draws on his extensive personal experience with Black Elk, who came to symbolize for many the greatness of the imperiled native cultures.

Teaching Spirits

Understanding Native American Religious Traditions

Joseph Brown

Table of Contents

Introduction1. Back to Back2. Changeless at the Heart of Change3. Fixing a Center4. Silence, the World, and the Sacred5. "There is No Word for Art"6. Relationship and Reciprocity7. A Unity of ExperienceNotesIndex